


the book

by ebonynightwriter



Series: Terraqua Week 2019 [5]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Childhood Friends, Dreams, Friendship, Gen, Land of Departure, Late Night Conversations, Late at Night, Pre-Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, Promises, Sneaking Out, Stargazing, Terraqua Week (Kingdom Hearts), Terraqua Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 12:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20693723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebonynightwriter/pseuds/ebonynightwriter
Summary: Sneaking out of their rooms one night, two young pupils look to the stars, a book and a dream...





	the book

**Author's Note:**

> -.-
> 
> **[terraqua week (2019) // day 5](http://ebonynightwriter.tumblr.com/tagged/mine:%20terraqua%20week%202019)** · dreams
> 
> -.-
> 
> **A/N:** Idk why but I keep writing childhood scenes with these two... 😂 oh well, it's fun.

Dusk falls over the Land of Departure. Crickets chirp within the grass, fireflies dance along the mountain streams and the creatures and critters of the night come crawling out of their burrows and nesting, scurrying through tall shadows as the sun sets beyond the horizon.

As the light fades, so too does the activity within the complex. as everyone goes about the nightly rituals. The tables in the mess hall are wiped down, the training rooms are swept and tidied and the torches in the farthest wings extinguished, their doors locked up for the night. Within an hour it is all complete, and everyone goes to bed... with the exception of two young pupils, who sneaked about the halls...

With Aqua taking the lead, Terra follows close behind, holding a large, thick book against his chest. They move along the walls carefully, knees bent low as the approached the stairs leading the main doors. Peering around Aqua's shoulder, Terra sees there was no guard stationed tonight.

He smiles.

“Alright!” he says. “The coast is clear!”

He heads down the stairs, only for Aqua to pull him back by the shoulder, so hard he slams his backside against the steps.

“Ow!” he cries. “What was that—”

“_Shhhh...” _Aqua says, looking at the door.

“I'm not doing anything,” he says, pushing himself up. “Let me—”

“_Shhhh...”_ Aqua says again, turning at him this time. “There's a watchman outside.”

Going quiet in an instant, Terra carefully picks himself up. The two of them slowly creep down the rest of the stairs, crouching at the last step. Terra squints at the crack beneath the large door, and spots the shadow of feet against a shimmering light. He lets out a quiet sigh — how could she have seen _that_?

He sits back on his heels.

“So,” he whispers. “Now what?”

Putting a hand to her chin, Aqua hums in thought as Terra hoists the book across his lap. He stares at the door's crack, trying to imagine who was on the other side. Were they alert and serious, or just trying to make it through their shift? Maybe they could try pretending to be the Master, or sneak out a window somewhere...

Suddenly, Aqua stands.

“I've got it!” she says, smiling confidently. Grabbing Terra by the wrist, she drags him toward the door. Once they were close to it, she puts a finger to her lips, then reaches up and makes three loud knocks against it. Pins and needles fill Terra's veins, and he wants to yell, but she pushes him into the wall instead. They wait in heavy silence, hearts pounding as the door slowly opens right in front of them, shielding them from view. Footsteps tap on the floor as the watchman looks up to the hall, and they wait until he goes further in. Further and further... until the footsteps fade from their ears. Terra grins at the trick.

They race out the door.

  
  


.

  
  


.

  
  


.

  
  


Grabbing a lantern along the way, they head up the mountain path. Terra holds the books as tight as he can, being careful not to trip over any rocks. Even with the lantern providing a decent amount of light, the trek up the mountain was hard in the dark. It required a keen eye to see the curves among the shadows, and they take the path very carefully, one step after the other. It take a little longer than usual, but eventually they make it to the top. An ocean of stars is there to greet them – shining clusters as far as the eye could see. It was unlike any view they could have gotten at the compound. Aqua looks up at it in awe.

“Wow...”

A smile on his face, Terra walks to the center of the clearing, placing the book on the ground. It slams into the dirt, and Aqua hurries over with the lantern, lighting up the dust cloud that hanged in the air. They lean over the tome as it settles, and Terra lifts the cover away. He shifts through the pages until he reaches a large star map near the middle.

The two of them look between the book and the sky, until Aqua throws a finger on the page.

“I think I see one!” she says, looking to the stars. Terra cranes his head, studying the spots she pointed out...

“You're right!” he says, smiling wide. “It's a match!”

Terra scans the map one more time, then turns further into the book, passing over page after page until he reaches the one he was looking for. Pressing his face into the text, he reads aloud beneath the orange lantern light.

“It's called... '_Agrabah'_,” he says. “'A city built in a large desert, with frequent sandstorms that weather the buildings... _Agrabah_ has many secret passages to get to other places, one of them being the _Cave of Wonders, _which holds many traps and puzzles, and is filled with all kinds of treasure...'”

Aqua giggles. “Sand must get everywhere!”

Terra grins, turning back to the map. After studying it again, he goes to another page.

“That one!” he says, pointing to a bright star in the sky. “It's a place called '_Neverland'. _It's a tropical island with rock formations and waterfalls, and lush trees and grass...And pirates!”

“That sounds much better than sand!” Aqua says, clapping her hands. “Let's go there!”

Terra falls back in the dirt.

“We can't go yet,” he says, staring at the sky. “Only a Keyblade Master can travel off-world...”

A pout forms on Aqua's face. She sits next to Terra, turning over the pages of worlds they hadn't found yet. Terra keeps his eyes on the stars.

“I'm going to be one,” Terra says. “A Keyblade Master... it's all I've ever dreamed about.”

Aqua holds her hand on the book.

“I wonder if we'll both become Masters someday...” she says, feeling the texture of the page. Terra sits up suddenly, turning to her.

“Let's promise!” he says, holding out his little finger. “We'll both become Keyblade Masters, and then we can visit all the worlds we want!”

Aqua is taken aback for a moment, then smiles, curling her finger around his.

“It's a promise,” she says. Terra bring his hand up and down, sealing the deal.

“We both share the same dream now,” he says. “So don't go breaking it or anything...”

Aqua nods.

“I won't.”

  
  


.

  
  


.

  
  


.

  
  


Some time later, a voice breaks through the silence of the night.

“Terra! Aqua!”

Their stomachs _drop_ – it was the Master.

Scrambling to his feet, Terra picks up the book, grabbing Aqua by the hand.

“Run!”

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N:** World descriptions for Agrabah and Neverland came from the KH Wiki!


End file.
